Starting your outsourcing journey can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re an RTO or service-based business owner in Australia. But when done right, outsourcing can unlock growth, reduce costs, and free your in-house team to focus on what matters most. So, which roles should you outsource first?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to choose the right roles to outsource first, why it matters, and how to set your team up for long-term success. Whether you’re considering RTO outsourcing or looking to expand your offshore staff roles, this is your starting point.
Why Start Small? The Benefits of Easing into Offshoring
Outsourcing isn’t about offloading everything at once. It starts with identifying simple, repeatable tasks that drain your team’s time. For Australian businesses, especially RTOs, these are often roles that are essential but not strategic.
Starting with 1 to 2 roles to outsource helps you:
- • Build trust in your outsourcing provider
- • Refine your processes for remote collaboration
- • Measure performance in a low-risk environment
And most importantly, it helps you gain early wins. These create the momentum needed to scale your offshore team with confidence.
5 Low-Risk, High-Impact Roles to Outsource First
People don’t create all roles equally. The best roles to outsource first are those that require consistent output, have well-defined processes, and offer high time or cost savings. Here are the top five.
1. Admin Assistants
Admin work can quietly eat up hours of your day. Outsourcing admin assistants lets your team focus on high-impact work while offshore staff handle inbox management, document prep, scheduling, and more.
Tasks often include:
- • Inbox filtering and calendar management
- • Creating and formatting documents
- • Filing and updating records
For RTOs, these roles also help maintain compliance logs and manage student files.
2. Data Entry Clerks
Accuracy and speed are vital for data entry, but it doesn’t need to happen in-house. Offshore data entry roles are cost-effective and scalable, making them ideal for RTOs dealing with enrolment forms, training records, and attendance tracking.
3. Finance/Bookkeeping Support
Roles like Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and bookkeeping are process-driven and data-heavy. They’re also among the most cost-efficient roles to outsource without compromising quality.
Your offshore team can manage:
- • Invoicing and receipting
- • Payroll prep
- • Bank reconciliations
Transparent workflows and cloud tools like Xero make finance outsourcing easier than ever.
4. Student Support Reps (for RTOs)
Student satisfaction hinges on responsive support. But hiring a local team for every inquiry can be costly. Outsourcing this role lets you provide round-the-clock help without overburdening your in-house staff.
Support reps can:
- • Respond to enrolment questions
- • Schedule calls or assessments
- • Provide status updates
Just make sure they’re trained in your tone, policies, and course structures.
5. Scheduling/Calendar Coordinators
RTOs often run training sessions, assessments, and student meetings , all of which need scheduling. Outsourcing calendar coordination helps streamline your operations, reduce no-shows, and improve internal communication.
This is one of the best roles to outsource first because it blends admin efficiency with customer-facing impact.
How to Match Your First Outsourced Role with Business Needs
Choosing what to outsource starts with asking: What’s slowing us down?
Look for roles where:
- • The process is well documented or easy to train
- • Output is easy to measure
- • There’s a backlog or bottleneck
- • Costs are disproportionately high for local hires
If you’re unsure, start by auditing your team’s week. Time-tracking apps or a simple spreadsheet can reveal how many hours are spent on tasks that could be delegated.
For example, if your operations manager spends 10 hours weekly on admin, outsourcing that role could save over 40 hours a month, time that could be spent on strategic planning or growth.
Another helpful tactic is to list out your team’s current responsibilities. Ask which ones are critical to customer experience or compliance and which can be systemised. Tasks that don’t require strategic thinking or in-person interaction are prime candidates for outsourcing.
RTOs can also consider outsourcing for roles like LMS administration or learning resource formatting. These roles support compliance and scalability but don’t need to be done locally. The more you delegate routine processes to a trained offshore staff, the more your local team can focus on outcomes that grow the business.
Avoiding Common First-Time Outsourcing Mistakes
Outsourcing can be a game-changer, but only if done right. Here are common mistakes to avoid:
- • Trying to outsource too much, too soon. Start small.
- • Vague expectations. Define KPIs from the beginning.
- • Lack of documentation. Record your processes before handover.
- • No onboarding plan. Treat offshore staff as part of your team.
Your offshore team needs context, feedback, and support just like your in-house staff.
Create a communication rhythm that mirrors how you work locally. Weekly check-ins, shared task boards, and recorded SOPs are essential. And remember, the goal isn’t just cost savings. It’s efficiency, alignment, and freeing up your team to focus on strategy, not spreadsheets.
Get the Right Start: Partnering with Experts You Can Trust
When you’re building your offshore team, who you partner with matters. At PeoplePartners, we specialise in RTO outsourcing, helping businesses build high-performance offshore teams without the hassle.
Our approach is built on:
- • Zero Upfront Cost – Get started without financial risk
- • No Lock-In Contracts – Scale your team, not your stress
- • 90-Day Replacement Guarantee – Confidence in every hire
- • Right People, Right Seats – We match talent to values and tasks
And thanks to our 70% cost savings, you’re investing in growth without the overhead.
To see how we support RTOs and other service-based businesses, explore our full range of outsourcing services tailored to your needs.
Whether you’re offshoring admin support, student services, or finance roles, we ensure you stay in control and aligned with your goals.
External Resources to Support Your Journey
For more insights on best practices for outsourcing, this guide by Sprintlaw explains key legal and operational considerations. It’s a useful resource for RTOs navigating compliance.
Ready to Begin? Let’s Build Your Offshoring Plan
If you’re considering outsourcing but unsure where to start, begin with roles that create time, reduce admin load, and give you fast, measurable wins.
The best roles to outsource first are often the ones quietly holding your team back and freeing those up can be transformative.
To explore your options and create a tailored outsourcing roadmap, book a discovery call with our team and learn why PeoplePartners is trusted by RTOs across Australia.
